Six out of ten people in the Nordic region comprising of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland (which is 12 million people) shop online each month. And during the first half of 2018, total Nordic ecommerce spend increased 11%. According to a PostNord report, Nordic consumers made purchases totalling SEK 104 billion.
This comes despite the population’s high level of ecommerce maturity, high internet penetration and comprehensive infrastructure. The highest proportion of online shoppers is in Sweden, where two out of three people on average make purchases at least once a month, compared to about six out of ten in Norway and Denmark and only about half of consumers in Finland.
Young people shop online to a much greater extent than older consumers, with those in the 30-49 age group shopping online most of all. In that age group, 76% of people in Sweden make online purchases in an average month, compared to 47 percent in the 65-79 age group.
What is quite interesting about the Nordic countries is the relatively low penetration of the big marketplaces, Amazon in particular. Merchants that want to access these fast growing markets may well find it beneficial to plug into local and home-grown marketplaces.
The research from PostNord also notes high demand for quality shipping:
It is clear from the report that consumers in all Nordic countries agree on the importance of communicating when a delivery will take place, as it provides security and control. Another insight is that an increasing number of shoppers would appreciate getting their goods to a locked item at home, which indicates that consumers want a more convenient delivery in the future.
– Arne Andersson, Nordic ecommerce Advisor,PostNord
Fashion is the most popular category of goods among Nordic consumers. This is followed by media, home electronics and health/cosmetics. However, fashion products are the category that also has the largest competition from abroad. Overall, Nordic consumers spend approximately every fifth krona in international online stores.
The survey spoke to shoppers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland from January until June. The total number of respondents surveyed was 53,849.
